Of Pride and Water
by JoeBoBean
Summary: So Minoru went and found the special water that Akira wanted and has brought it back in a plastic bottle and its warm. She complains, he explodes and Akira for the first time in her life feels genuine guilt! What has Minoru done to our cynical, chain smoking Idol? Clearly the well meaning boy has gotten under her skin.


_AN: So I watched Lucky Star an aaaaage ago and I'm an Omake girls at heart, give me something extra and I am THERE you have no idea. I loved The Lucky Channel and its general silliness, not that anyone watches or reads Lucky Star for its sensible nature... but you know what I mean. I also loved Akira because she is basically me, if I were famous. She's a passive aggressive, cynic who for the most part hates the world. So this one came about after Akira makes Minoriu go get her the water. _

_The dialogue from the first section is taken from a fansub of the anime and I will willingly admit that it is not my own. From there on out though it is. Please enjoy. xx_

"Oha Lucky!" I sang in my shrill _idol_ voice, it always started this way on _The Lucky Channel_ "I'm your navigator world renowned idol Akira Kogami."

"And I'm her assistant Ono Dasiuke," Ono finished with his over pronounced flair, man he made me sick.

"Wow we've come a long way," I found myself replying in my sweet innocent voice,

"Oh yes and now here we are for the home stretch!" Ono responded pushing a hand through his over gelled hair. "Now let's get straight to the corner," _Corner of what?_ I found myself asking inside my head; the sweet voice I used gone replaced momentarily by the cynic, chain smoker back. "Of this weeks twist," He announced and then the studio went quiet, all too quiet and I had to admit I missed Minoru he made moments like this fun without trying and even though Ono was one of the best in the business I didn't like him half as much as he loved himself. The silence stretched on and eventually I turned to Ono to ask what the problem was when I saw him.

Minoru was back… I had never thought I would see him again.

"I brought your water," he said his voice scratchy handing a bottle to me. I panicked for a second and stared at the bottle as if it was something alien, eventually I unscrewed the cap and took a sip, it was heavenly… but warm! As it hit the back of my throat I felt the warmth and spat it back out.

"What is this!?" I asked my innocent voice lost for all to see off screen. "It's lukewarm!" I felt the anger rise and I threw the bottle at Minoru before I had realised it, "How am I supposed to drink this!?" I heard it make contact and Minoru grunted, "Even something from the vending machine is better than this…" I wiped my mouth on the stupidly long sleeves that my producer and director said I had to wear to make me more _Moe_ and spat the last remaining water on the floor. I was going to say something else insulting just to see Minour's response when he actually exploded right there next to me.

"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!" He screamed arms in the air "Don't you dare fuck with me!" he finished his normal bashful and cheerful air gone, when I turned to him he grabbed my collar and pulled me off my feet so I could look straight in to his blood shot green eyes. "Why YOU… How much of your crap do you think I've had to put up with all this time!?" He began to shake my violently, "Always having to listen to your damn SELFISH requests!" He had snapped and that scared me,

"Minoru…?" I asked in a small voice and realised that he wasn't finished.

"No longer; I'm going to say what is on my mind today so listen up cranky pants Idol-sama!" if I wasn't so scared I would have laughed at how stupid he sounded, "Do you know how it feels doing this little corner with you every week? I work so hard at my job at the club and then I have to come here and see you and listen to all your stupid crap! Did you know my job at the bar pays better than this!? How stupid is that! It pays better than acting!" Tears came to his eyes and then he got more mad, "Thanks to you I have to work full time! Before I come here every day to talk you up… I'm at the club serving and frying Menchi Katsu!" He took a breath, but still shook me so hard my head hurt,

"Well you do seem more suited to that sort of work," Ono quipped flicking his hair idly, at that comment Minoru threw me to the floor choking slightly and then he turned his full attention on Ono,

"What the HECK!?" He shouted pointing his finger at Ono as if he only realised then that Ono was there, "Why is Ono boy sitting there? That's my designated seat!" Ono sat with his head resting on one fist shrugging slightly,

"You were cut," he said simply, "By the producer and the director," Minoru's face fell,

"WHAT'S THAT!?" He asked balling his hands in to fists, "They decide to do things like this far too quickly!" He pointed at himself panic plain across his face, "I'm a late bloomer!" He pointed to himself with his thumb becoming more animated as he argued with Ono, I had never seen him so angry. I mean sure I had seen him angry and usually at me, but never so angry that he actually exploded. For the first time since he came in I actually paid attention to his appearance, he was a mess. His hair stuck up at all angles and his face was covered in dirt, his clothes were torn to shreds as if he had been mauled by a bear and when he showed me his back I could see the deep gauges in his skin from what looked like a claw. Ono said something that I didn't catch and then Minoru said,

"I quit!" At that my attention was on him again, he grabbed the desk and I jumped back, "I quit this fucking show!" He tipped the desk and Ono had the brilliant idea of running away and leaving me with a stark raving mad Minoru,

"Pussy," I muttered under my breath as Minoru grabbed one of the chairs and threw it at the set.

"Take that!" He shouted as he began to stamp on the broken set, "Who the hell cares about the _Lucky Channel _anyway!?" I was about to grab him and shout at him like he was shouting at everyone else, but he was grabbed by the producer and director and they tried to pull him away, he shook them off as if they were nothing and I decided that maybe I shouldn't say anything as he turned on the camera man knocking him and the camera over before he stormed off set shouting about something else.

I looked around at hurricane Minoru and was thoroughly impressed and something deep inside glowed with warmth for a moment before I stood up murderous. I knew exactly where he had gone and I knew exactly what I was going to do, he was allowed to go Hulk even I had to admit that, because well I was a bitch to him all the time. I had given him that "trail" just to get him out of the way for a bit so I could run the show solo, but the producers and directors had said that they needed a male perspective on it and had invited Ono along totally against my will. I thought that Minoru was going to take up the challenge to save face, but I never thought that he would go through so much trouble for me. I wasn't normally a person that would give out apologies, but I knew that he deserved one as well as a kick up the butt.

"Minoru open up NOW!" I shouted at his door, I heard things moving inside the tiny room that was his dressing room and got really angry, "OPEN UP MINORU!" I said banging on the wood so hard that the little paper plaque that had his name on fell off and glided gently to the floor. "I haven't said my piece yet!" I heard a harumph through the door and knew that I wasn't going to be allowed in, because he expected me to be the cynical, cold, washed out idol; that in all honesty I was. "What you did to the set wasn't fair," I said slowly, my voice gentle, not the squeaky innocence or cranky wash out. "And thank you for getting me that water." I stopped shocked at how sincere I was about it. I turned from the door and heard it open,

"Really?" I heard him ask slowly,

"Yeah," I replied shrugging, "No one has ever put that much effort in for me."

"Oh," was all he said back and I turned to see that his face was clean and his hair was wet and plastered to his head. I glanced down and saw that he had a towel around his shoulders and a new pair of trousers on, but nothing else. I gulped in air not sure how to act. We banged our heads together all the time and now that we were being nice it was hard. "Do you want to come in, I sense that you are going to shout at me and I don't want you to do it out there, since you know I ran away from the scene of the crime." I nodded and stepped in through the door way. I heard it close and looked around the room, it was tiny in comparison to my dressing room, but it was his space no doubt about it; everything was tidy and well ordered just the way he usually was. I was amazed that the dart board with my face on had a perfect cluster of holes in my forehead; then promptly worried that he had a good aim and I was in the room with him.

"So what did you want to say?" he asked shrugging his shoulders glaring at me, "Little miss Idol going to give me a rough talk about how the business stinks and people only realise your potential moments before its gone?" For some reason that comment pissed me off more than I really wanted to admit, but it gave me an in and I took it my voice back to the cranky cynic I was happy with,

"How dare you waltz in here all high and mighty?!" I said glaring back at him, "I have been in this business a lot longer than you mister!" Minoru shrugged and made a look that I assumed was _so sue me_ and that was it I was so enraged that I knocked half the stuff off his dressing table, all he did was smile darkly. "I've always tried really hard, I've taken any crappy job that came my way and when I find something that I actually enjoyed doing because of the people involved I usually ruin it by saying something unnecessary or by doing something stupid. This time though, it wasn't me! I don't like it when people fuck things up for me. I can do that myself!" I took a deep breath and noticed that Minoru was closer than he had a minute ago, when had he moved? "It takes a lot to build up a rep in this business, but it takes nothing to ruin it! Is that what you want to be a broken down has been just because of this?" He had moved forward again when I wasn't looking and the look in his eyes clearly wanted me dead.

"Whose fault is it that I lost it?" He asked his normal pleasant voice laced with venom, "If it wasn't for a certain snotty nosed brat I would be all well and good!"

"Hey who the hell do you think you are calling a snotty nosed brat?" I asked my voice a lot more shaky than I would have liked as Minoru loomed over me.

"That would be you!" he said his voice sharp enough to cut through brick, "Ever since I came here you have made me in to a laughing stock, I put up with so much crap from you, so much more than anyone normally would and what do I get in return?" He threw up his hands, "Nada, zilch, zero, sweet fuck all. You just don't care do you?" He asked inches from my face. "All you do it take, take, take!" He spat now inches from my lips, I went to move back but found that I was up against his dresser and was trapped, "You don't care one bit do you!? You don't give a damn about anyone but you and I'm sick of it!" He looked so angry, so much angrier than I thought was safe. I could see a nerve twitching in his temple and his green eyes were storm tossed.

"I was… just… preparing you for… the industry…" I stammered my bravado gone,

"Bullshit and you know it, you are just a sad, sociopathic, lunatic" he leaned in closer still his eyes burning in to mine, "It just makes you mad that you have to ruin someone that is maybe happy, you know just getting by in life, having things just starting to go their way and you have to screw it up for them." He put his hands on the dresser at either side of me, "You… make… me… sick!" I tried to move out of the way to get away from that murderous stare but there was nowhere I could go, I felt his hands clamp around my wrists and whimpered at the pain, looking in to his eyes I could see he was going to hurt me and no one knew where I was.

So I was surprised when his lips brushed mine so softly. His grasp on my wrists loosened and his lips were on mine again so very gently a total contrast to the murderous intent that was still in his eyes.

"I will make you learn," he said against my lips gruffly. "You are not the only person in the universe." he finished his eyelids shutting out his crazy stare.

His right hand let go of my wrist entirely and wrapped around my back as his left hand cupped my cheek, I was shaking, unable to move and unable to think, Minoru had overpowered me so easily that I felt small and insignificant. No one had managed to do that before. I was always the mouthy, impolite, idol. Now however I was the lost and quaking maiden. I could feel the heat coming off Minoru's body and shocked myself by sighing, I heard Minoru growl in an animalistic manner and he pulled me closer. I was gasping for air, but at the same time I didn't really care. I found myself laying my hands on the warm skin of his chest and feeling his heart beat pulse quickly under his skin. It was such a different and overwhelming feeling that I couldn't quite get my head around. I had never been truly speechless before, but if someone asked me a question now I wouldn't be able to talk at all.

Minoru moved his hand so that it was no longer cupping my cheek, but resting against my neck his thumb rubbing against my pulse point. It made me shiver making Minoru smile against my lips. I was just about to start kissing Minoru back in earnest when he broke off the kiss and pulled away from me his hooded eyes warm now not crazy. I watched as he picked up a shirt and threw it over him. He walked to the door of his dressing room without saying a word, I leapt off the dresser and was about to call out to him when he turned around, his smile was dark and I couldn't speak the words got lost in my throat,

"The lesson starts now," he said softly and walked out the door shutting it soundlessly behind him.

"JACKASS!" I shouted at the door uselessly, "I hate you!" but even I knew it wasn't true. I fell on the floor my cheeks flushed and my heart racing, "That's so not fair," I muttered, "When did you surpass me? Why didn't I notice?" I finished lamely as I collapsed in on myself from shame. "What am I going to do?" I asked the empty room, but got no response. "ARRRGH" I said throwing up my hands and grabbing a dart, I threw it at the board and missed, "This SUCKS!" I screamed and stormed out the door. "As if I will ever let you kiss me again." I shouted stomping out of the studio after Minoru, "It wasn't even that good!" yet again I knew I was lying, but as if I was ever going to let anyone else know that, I had an image to protect. Deep down though, I was glad he had done that… I had even wanted it… man I'm such a goner.


End file.
